HeatHack is a programme that aims to make the UK’s community spaces more comfortable on less energy use. Churches, halls, and community centres are difficult to move to Net Zero – but many groups, from children’s nurseries to dementia care, rely on them. They are some of the hardest buildings to manage because they are usually traditionally built, often listed, and almost never designed to modern heating requirements.
HeatHack gives community groups a way to agree a net zero plan that will suit their circumstances and interest funders. It covers everything from changing the heating controls to moving away from fossil fuels, with the right heat loss measures to match.
Over the years, we have developed techniques for
- teaching building managers and users how core concepts like thermal comfort and heat loss apply to their buildings, including how daily multi-purpose use might change how the building feels
- diagnosing heating system faults and inefficiencies, including problems with the choice of end user controls
- monitoring temperature and relative humidity cheaply and with low skill required
- assessing heat loss and exploring the likely effects of possible mitigations
Our work empowers the volunteers who manage community buildings to have the right conversations with the professionals they engage, leading to better building outcomes.